Reflection Before the Storm
by nekozuki1776
Summary: Yukimura takes a reflective moment before embarking on his dangerous plan. Based on the SDK ANIME during episode 18 following the initial defeat of Nobunaga. Some spoilers up to Episodes 26. ONESHOT


**TITLE:** A Reflection Before the Storm - By: Nekozuki1776

**SUMMARY:** Yukimura takes a reflective moment before embarking on his dangerous plan. Based on the SDK ANIME during Episode 18 following the initial defeat of Nobunaga. Some spoilers to Episode 21-26.

**RATING:** PG

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo anime, manga or any of its characters. Kamijyo Akimine is the true legal and spiritual owner.

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**A REFLECTION BEFORE THE STORM**

An early morning breeze mingling with the scent of cherry blossoms and sweet rice cakes fills the air of the outdoor tea house. A mysterious looking traveler dressed in a colorful array of red, yellow, blue, and white sits peacefully under the tree located adjacent to the entrance.

The kaleidoscope of primary colors adorning his attire and accentuating his smooth, pale skin and lean form does not go unnoticed by other travelers but are politely ignored. The breeze shaking off the excess sakura petals glide over his free flowing charcoal hair of this seemingly easygoing man.

Even his piercing blue eyes that border on violet when reflected against the light are deceptively soft and genteel. Combined with his smooth grin and his boyish nod to the head, it would be enough to entrance the charming waiting girl for more sake or better yet, to have her join him under the tree for a drink or two without the necessity of vocalizing such an invitation.

His voice, another contrast to the commonly masculine trait, let alone one of a samurai, holds a soft and hypnotic lilt. It rarely lowers below the alto timber but commands attention nonetheless. A passerby would never guess that one of the most skilled and feared swordsmen of Japan was this attractive man with a melodic voice within a package of lackadaisical demeanor and irresistible allure.

Upon close observation, bystanders would recognize the high quality sword sheathed at his side. Looking closer, they would see that his eyes held a mixture of mischievous and dangerous glint. The said lone man, Lord Yukimura Saenomon Sanada peered upwards at the clear blue sky and allowed the fresh spring air to caress his face.

_This will be a good day to travel. _

The group which had recovered from their recent battle against Nobunaga and the Jyunishinshi was setting off to Muramasa's village by mid-morning. It was decided that Benitora, Yuya, Yukimura and his ninjas, Saizo and Sasuke were to accompany Kyo to the village in search for Lady Sakuya and hopefully obtain information on the Mibu Clan.

He took another satisfying swig of his sake as he ruminated over his traveling companions. Benitora aka Tokugawa Hidetada, as mentioned before was an overly passionate young man but underneath all his hyperactive emotions and comedic acts was a man of honor. He begrudgingly acquiesced that this son of Tokugawa Ieyasu was indeed brave and a skilled fighter at that.

Kyo. What could he say about Demon Eyes Kyo – the slayer of a thousand people? He was his biggest rival to date. Most likely the most powerful swordsman that he would ever face in his lifetime. The brief sparring match he held with Kyo not so long ago had left him with a sense of being on the brink of death. As a man who stoically accepted his occupation in life to live and die by the sword, Yukimura's fingers instinctively twitched in anticipation at the thought of gripping his Japanese steel to clash with Kyo's shin no Muramasa once again. It was dangerous, euphoric, and admittedly insane. He had never felt so alive.

Yuya. In this age where tradition, dependency and obedience dominated the characteristics of the fairer sex, he was intrigued by this brash girl who was anything but. She had a few worthy combat styles and when armed with her 3-chamber flintlock, she made a decent fighter. Nonetheless the bounty hunter drastically lacked in fighting skills compared to the rest of the group and oftentimes stood her ground on courage alone.

But in his personal experience with one of his female Jyuuyuushi, Kosuke, women often made the best strategists and protectors--especially in midst of a crisis. The saying, a bear fights most savagely when protecting her cubs wasn't a phrase he considered too lightly. Yuya was no exception to this rule. There had been several key points during their adventures were if not for her physical or spiritual presence, they would no doubt, have perished.

In all her innocence, Yuya was completely oblivious of her position, which made her all the more likeable and had left him wanting to protect her like he would a younger sister. No, he wouldn't insult her by slotting her to the role of a doll made solely for breeding and kowtowing to the males of the family. She was far too spirited of a girl to be fettered under these ignorant stereotypes that caged the female soul.

Her weakness in fact was her willingness to trust those around her a bit too hastily. She didn't think twice of trusting Kyo when she discovered that he could have been her brother's killer. She didn't hesitate to care for the injured Okuni even when she was found to be a spying member of the Jyunishinshi. On a personal note, she didn't even seem to take into account how Yukimura made a hasty exit when she was kidnapped. She seemed to have forgiven him or simply not found worth mentioning.

He knew that her growing feelings for Kyo compounded her stubborn determination. How foolish. He supposed that he admired her for the unconditional loyalty she placed on Kyo and a small part of him even envied her naiveté to do so. But he casually brushed this feeling aside like the stray pink petal that lingered precariously on his shoulder. After all, envy wasn't going to get him closer to his goal of raising the power and status of the Sanada Clan.

It was hard to believe that not so many years ago, this same determined man lead a fairly spoiled and irresponsible life in his younger days. But now, too much corruption existed in the current state of Japan and his childish innocence was long gone. Many nobles by then had succumbed to the vices of depravity, greed, and dishonor. Yukimura was no saint, but he certainly was none of the above.

_How ironic that I am now the only member in the family that is willing to fight in the name of Sanada. _

The one sin that he despised above all else was an act of a traitorous nature. One of the few virtues that Yukimura held dear to his heart was loyalty and faithfulness. When he found out of Basara's malicious deed towards the injured fellow Jyunishinshi, Santera, a powerful fighting ki that even surpassed his normal superior skills took over as he ruthlessly engaged the demonic archer into battle. He still remembered the emotional words that belied his calm tone as he admonished Basara minutes before killing him.

_Abandoning your wounded comrade, I despise scums like you the most. _

It was when these accusing words left his lips did he decidedly fall into a forthcoming judgment of his own hypocritical bravado as he uncharacteristically voiced out in shame,

_No. Perhaps it's me that I despise the most. _

He still held the acrid taste of smoke and bile in his mouth from his fight in the burning Sea of Trees. He knew that no amount of alcohol that he consumed in last night's celebration as well as this morning could wash the taste away. It would linger for quite some time.

When he abandoned the group soon after Yuya's kidnapping. When he willingly allowed a severely wounded Kyo to walk into a suicidal battle against Nobunaga without offering him any assistance. At that time, all he was feeling was the drive of fulfilling the dream that was years in the making. But he definitely felt the guilt in the aftermath.

It left him confused, groping for the inner meaning of why he was having second thoughts to his normally self-assured demeanor. It wasn't as if he was ignorant or felt unaccountable for what he did. He knew he had used them as stepping stones to get to where he was. He had planned on helping them to a certain extent—as long as it didn't thwart his goals. He knew his actions had some wrongness to it. But certain sacrifices had to be made. It was for the sake of his dream after all.

Until recently, the Sanada Clan and his Juuyuushi were the only people he had categorized as worthy of his trust and loyalty. What he didn't welcome were feelings of guilt that was lingering in his soul. In the deep recess of his conscience, he knew that Kyo, Benitora and Yuya had long ago become much more than pawns to his objectives. They had become comrades the moment they fought the kenyou soldiers side by side following the Tokugawa Tournament. But his greater purpose overrode the loyalties owed to his newfound friends.

_But everyone has a purpose. Who says yours takes precedence over others?_

He held firm to his foresight that Kyo would dominate over Nobunaga. That Yuya would somehow escape Akira's clutches. And he was right. But this was only one of many scenarios that his intuition had offered. Although the most likely scenario that he predicted came into fruition, he of all people knew that nothing was ever absolute and anything indeed could have occurred—especially in this time of supposed historical chaos that eccentric foreign samurai kept ranting on about.

Migeira. This was another being that intrigued him on an entirely different level. He was one person Yukimura would dare admit had the foresight that surpassed his—a million fold. He knew that Migeira was a part of the secretive family in Kyoto that held the gift of precognition. This man who often interrupted his routine as the uninvited observer to the group had an annoying ability to pick at his conscience—and worse yet, be right on the mark. What were the exact words the astute foreigner had said to him? "The problem with you Yukimura is that no matter how good your intentions, you can't see the forest for the trees."

He didn't need a sixth sense to let him know that this strange seer was not referring to the Sea of Trees they were roaming in at the time, he knew that Migeira was obviously pointing out his secret weakness of blind ambition.

Underneath his easygoing veneer was a passionately ambitious and vicious man. Yukimura refused to be weak. When he allowed himself to shed his easygoing veneer to get in the zone of his true fighting ki, no one got in his way. He barely hesitated in causing severe injury upon his brother at the Tokugawa Imperial Tournament when his chance to fight with Kyo became at stake. Although he left his defeated brother under the care of capable hands, Yukimura rushed without hesitation towards his main mission of killing Tokugawa Ieyasu himself .

Unfortunately, Ieyasu had already fallen under the Jyunishinshi's evil spell and was in the end destroyed and his soul liberated by Tokugawa's son, Benitora. That left Yukimura with the unpleasant task of deciding what to do with the sole remaining successor to the Tokugawa reign who was quickly becoming a meaningful presence in his life.

His inner turmoil however was quickly overridden by a new set of obstacles and turn of events. Kenyous. Nobunaga. Sea of Trees. Kyoshiro/Kyo mystery. Altered history. Mibu.

A diplomatic clearing of the throat is heard from above. Yukimura did not need to look up to know the identity of the shadowed figure. He had been patiently hiding within the branches for the past 30 minutes.

"It seems that our merry band of travelers are almost ready to depart for Muramasa's village, ne?"

"Hai Yukimura-sama," the man in the tree obediently responded. "They will be looking for you soon."

Saizo. One of his loyal Juuyuushi. The Juuyuushi was hands down the most important group of people in his life. More than his recently acquired comrades. More than his family. Saizo, Sasuke, Kosuke, and his other talented shinobis had no limit to their loyalties unto him. Their devotion knew no bounds. Without a doubt the feelings were mutual.

Although he credited himself for his astute ability to pick the right people to serve him and fight by his side, he often wondered if he was deserving of them. He wondered how he could have gotten so lucky. Unfortunately, if what he suspected of discovering in Muramasa's village held any ring of truth, he would soon be placing a severe strain on that loyalty.

_The forest for the trees. . . _

He wouldn't blame them, when the Juuyuushi discovered of his actions, if they chose to leave him. In all outward appearances, what he was planning to do was going against everything they stood for.

Mibu. It held the key to all his questions. This is something he knew had to be done. For the Sanada Clan. For the country. For his chance to fight Kyo. And if what Migeira said was true, for his existence. He had a covert plan in infiltrating this secretive clan. No one had privy to his strategy except for Saizo and even then he had given him very little information for the sake of the ninja's safety. Yukimura knew what had to be done. There was no backing out now.

Yukimura stood up, brushing off the petals, and looked upwards at the long-haired shinobi.

_This is a good day to travel. _

"Very well then Saizo," A smile graced his delicate features. "Let us be on our way."

**-THE END-**

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A/N – This story is my view on Yukimura's thoughts before he joined the Mibu Clan. I've added an original interaction in the story with Migeira's "forest for the trees" lecture. I figured that out of all the characters, it would be a future seer like Migeira that would have access to a saying that most likely did not originate from that time (i.e. not 400 yrs old). I have recently started reading the SDK MANGA and am delightfully discovering more about Yukimura. It makes me want to write another story about him based on the manga or perhaps about some of my other favorite SDK characters like Sasuke, Benitora, Hotaru, Akira . . .


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